We're Gathered Here
by OurHouse
Summary: Third story in the Bella 'verse.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Better 2 years late than never….right? My grandest apologies for the delay. To those who have been with me since the beginning, if you're still out there, I hope it was worth the wait. And to those just joining us…it's essential to have read Traveling Light before this one; not so much The Christmas File, but I wouldn't be sad if you wanted to read that one too. **

**Chapter 1**

Cuddy inhaled deeply through her nose, stretching her muscles as she slowly came to consciousness. She opened her eyes, squinting at the early morning sun peering through the sheer drapes in her bedroom. It was a beautiful spring day and the weather was supposed to reach the mid- 70s by this afternoon, no rain expected. She expelled a sigh of relief, a smile splitting her face. It was perfect; perfect weather for a wedding, her outdoor wedding. It was the day she had been dreaming about since House had proposed to her several months ago. The day that just over a year ago she thought she'd never experience in her life, having given up on the dream years before.

For a while she began to think marriage and family just weren't in her future; they weren't meant for her. She had spent most of her adult life concentrating on her medical career, leaving almost no time for dating and relationships. The relationships she did have she screwed up fairly quickly. A lot of that having to do with the fact that no one she was with, made her feel that lifelong happiness she felt she deserved to have. House was in no small part to blame for a lot of those problems either. Every time she had a date or had begun seeing someone new, House was there to screw it up. It was like he had it out to make her personal life just as miserable as he made her professional life.

But it was funny how life turned out. They'd known each other since college and had spent one night together before he disappeared. It was ok though, because one night was all it was supposed to be; no hard feelings. Later, she'd found out why he disappeared, but she never pursued him. She had heard his name here and there throughout the years and was fully aware of his reputation in the medical profession, but it wasn't until she was Dean of PPTH and he came around looking for a job because he couldn't get hired anywhere else, that she first laid eyes on him again. Years went by where he was practically the bane of her existence (most of it having to do with the infarction and her part in it) and yet somehow she still managed to harbor strong feelings toward him. It wasn't until many years later when Bella came into their lives that they finally gave in to their feelings for one another, and they now shared a daughter and were about to be married.

Cuddy turned her head at the thought of her daughter, seeing her little body cocooned beneath the blankets, and her head with a mass of dark curly hair spread out over the white pillow beneath it. Cuddy smiled at the sight of Bella asleep next to her. Bella had wanted to sleep in Cuddy's bed while House had been out having fun at his bachelor party last night. For her part, she didn't have a bachelorette party, merely a small get together with her daughter, mother, and few other people. They had talked, laughed, and generally had a great time. She didn't need anything else.

She sighed softly, bringing herself out of her thoughts and glancing at the clock. She needed to get up to pack a few last minute things to get ready for her big day. It was then that she heard Bella slowly begin to stir, her head turning to face Cuddy, a soft breath escaping through her nose. She turned over onto her side, curling her body into the warmth of Cuddy's, still asleep. Cuddy reached her left hand over and gently ran her fingers through Bella's wild curls. Bella mumbled something unintelligible at the feel of Cuddy's hands in her hair and she smiled widely, loving the cute sounds her daughter made when she was sleeping and imagined she'd made the same ones as a baby. She placed a kiss on Bella's forehead and continued combing her fingers through her hair, causing her to sigh softly and stir once more in her sleep. After a few moments, Bella slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the brightness of the room. Cuddy watched as Bella slowly became aware of her surroundings and glanced up at Cuddy.

"Morning." Cuddy whispered with a smile.

Bella returned a sleepy smile, curling into Cuddy a bit more. "Morning." She mumbled sleepily.

"Did you sleep ok?"

Bella nodded. "What time is it? Is it time to get up?" She whispered, her voice slurry with sleep.

"It's just after 7:30, but we have a little time before we need to be up."

Bella nodded in response before a huge smile came to her face. "You and Dad are getting married today." She mumbled into the pillow, happiness shining in her eyes.

Cuddy smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah."

"Are you nervous, Mom?"

"Mm, not yet. I will be later, though."

"Me too. I don't want to mess up anything, like drop the ring or trip or something. That'd be embarrassing."

Amused, Cuddy chuckled softly. "You won't, you'll be just fine."

Cuddy continued combing her fingers through Bella's hair, brushing her curls away from her face and placing another kiss to her forehead. Bella's hair had grown out quite a bit and was now down to the middle of her back. It was soft and beautiful and Cuddy couldn't wait to see it styled for the ceremony.

"Do you think Dad is awake yet?" Bella asked suddenly, glancing up at Cuddy.

"I doubt it. You know how your Dad likes to sleep in." She scoffed, knowing that House would sleep as late as he could get away with before getting ready for the wedding.

"Maybe he'll make an exception on his wedding day." Bella pondered. "But I bet Uncle James will have to wake him up."

"Yeah well, hopefully they're not both-." Cuddy mused before stopping herself, glancing down at Bella as she listened intently. She knew that her fiancée and his best friend had probably done too much drinking last night and could possibly be suffering from hangovers this morning but she didn't want Bella to know that.

"Hopefully they're not both what?" Bella asked curiously, her lip curled upward in amusement.

Cuddy narrowed her eyes at Bella, suspecting she was already aware of what Cuddy meant.

"Drunk?" Bella supplied.

Cuddy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hung over…how do you know about-."

"I'm nine, Mom, I'm not stupid. Besides, I've seen a lot of drunk people in New York before. It's no big deal. Like this one time at New Year's, there was this guy who was walking down the street with a party hat on, screaming 'Happy New Year', wearing nothing but his underwear, even though it was like, really freezing outside, and then he started taking them off and-"

"Ok, ok, I don't think I want to hear this story." Cuddy stopped her, horror in her eyes. "But, oh god, please tell me you didn't see his…" She asked, shifting her eyes downward.

"No, Mattie covered my eyes just in time." She assured with a shiver of disgust.

"Oh thank God for Mattie." Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Besides, it's not like Dad would be like that anyway."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that." Cuddy replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

Bella curled her lip in disgust at the thought of her father taking his clothes off. "Gross, Mom."

Cuddy laughed at Bella's horrified expression before hugging her tighter against her side, placing a kiss to her forehead again.

Bella rested her head on Cuddy's shoulder, curling closer to her, seeking warmth in the slight chill of the room. After a few moments of comfortable silence between them, Bella spoke up once more. "Mom."

"Mm."

"I'm going to miss you and Dad when you're on your honeymoon." Bella told her, tilting her head up to look at Cuddy.

"We're going to miss you too. But you'll be having fun with Grandma and Oma while we're gone, so you won't have time to miss us much." She told Bella sweetly.

Bella nodded before giving a slight shrug of her shoulders, tilting her head down again. "I wish I could go with you."

Cuddy glanced down at her daughter, troubled over the slight melancholy in her tone. It was the first time she had expressed conflicting emotion over them leaving on their honeymoon. To this point, she had been excited about it, joking that she would finally have some 'peace and quiet' around here. But now as Cuddy really thought about it, it did seem kind of unfair that she and House were going off on their honeymoon while their daughter had to stay there and go to school.

Bella was still curled into her, her index finger playing with a loose thread on the comforter as Cuddy's finger mimicked the motion with a strand of Bella's hair. She sighed. But what if there was more to it than her and House, essentially taking a vacation without Bella? What if it was about something else entirely?

This would be the first time they'd be separated from each other for that length of time. Bella had been through a great trauma in the past, losing her family; and while she was doing incredibly well these days, Cuddy knew she still suffered through the loss at times, and it would never truly go away. In that instant, she wanted to kick herself; she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. She had been so caught up in planning the wedding, she hadn't been thinking of how this would affect Bella. Cuddy sighed again and tilted Bella's chin up, meeting her eyes. She needed to get to the bottom of this now.

"Hey." She said softly.

Bella's lip quirked. "Hey." She responded.

"What's bothering you?"

Bella shrugged. "Just going to miss you, that's all."

Cuddy shook her head. "Tell me the truth, I can tell something else is bothering you."

She shifted her eyes away from Cuddy's for a moment before moving them back.

She gently brushed her thumb over Bella's cheek. "We're going to be fine, nothing is going to happen to us." She assured her daughter, getting to what she thought was the issue.

Bella stared into Cuddy's eyes. "I know." She replied, trying to sound confident but a slight waver in her voice giving her away.

"Sweetheart, have you been afraid of us leaving and never coming back?"

Bella stared silently, her jaw dropping slightly in surprise.

"How long have you felt this way?" Cuddy asked gently.

Bella sighed, shaking her head, moving in to hug her mother. "Not long, just now that it's closer. It's stupid, I know you're coming back."

"It's not stupid. I wish you'd said something sooner, though. If you don't want us to go, Bella, we won't. We'll stay here and go another time…all of us."

As she spoke, Bella was shaking her head, still secure in her mother's embrace. "No, I want you to go on your honeymoon, Mom. I can deal."

"Sweetheart, I don't want that for you, ok? You are important to your dad and me, your _feelings_ are important to us." She stressed. "It's not something we just deal with, we've tried that before, remember? It didn't work out so well and we can't go back to that." She paused, leaning back, watching Bella's expression as she processed what Cuddy was saying. "We have to talk about it with each other, we handle it the way it's supposed to be handled. If you need to go back to Dr. Sloan, then we do that too."

"Mommy, I'm fine, it's not that bad. I told you, I don't feel like that all the time, I promise. I don't have the nightmares and I feel happy most of the time. I just got a little apprehensive." Bella insisted. "I'm fine, ok?"

Cuddy studied her face, looking into her daughter's eyes, hoping to see sincerity and not appeasement; while simultaneously and perhaps less importantly for this moment, in the back of her mind, noting her pride over Bella's use of the word 'apprehensive' and wondering when she'd learned it. Shifting her mind back to the matter at hand, she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before speaking. "Sweetheart, if-"

"Mom, don't worry about me." Bella interrupted, propping herself up with her arm. "I'm doing good; I mean well, I'm doing well. And it's your wedding day, you're only allowed to worry about not tripping down the aisle." Bella added with a teasing smile.

Cuddy huffed a laugh, shaking her head. "Thanks a lot."

Bella giggled.

Not sure if she should let it go so easily, Cuddy watched Bella carefully for a moment. "You'll tell us if it ever becomes too much?"

Bella nodded, sweeping her finger in a cross over her heart.

Finally satisfied that she was being truthful, she gave her a nod, accepting her reassurances and adding, "Tell you what, I'll talk to your Dad and maybe we'll plan a trip for all of us later in the summer, ok? I think it's well deserved."

Bella's face brightened in surprise, nodding her approval. "Really? Can we go to the ocean? I want to play in the waves and swim with the dolphins, they're soooo cute. And I want to play on the sand and hunt for seashells and go snorkeling and…" She rambled.

"Ok, ok…I'll talk to Dad about it, but I think it could be arranged." Cuddy interrupted Bella's animated rant.

"Yes!" Bella squealed, bouncing up and down on the mattress. "Thanks, Mommy." She said, throwing her arms around Cuddy's neck.

Cuddy chuckled, wrapping her arms around Bella in a tight hug. "But I'm still gonna miss you." Bella added, her face buried in Cuddy's hair.

Before she could reply, there was a knock on the bedroom door. It opened to Laura Cuddy peeking inside the room. "Good morning, you two." She said with a smile.

"Morning, Mom." Cuddy answered, returning her smile.

"Morning, Grandma." Bella replied, moving out of Cuddy's arms and sitting up once more to face her grandmother.

Laura stepped inside the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Happy Wedding Day, darling." She told her daughter.

Cuddy's smile widened as she glanced at her mom. "Thanks." She replied.

"Well, I thought I'd make breakfast before we all start our busy day? Bella, would you like to come help me and Oma make breakfast for the bride?"

Bella turned her head to look at her, a smile playing on her lips. "Ok, Grandma."

"Mom, please don't make a feast." Cuddy begged, knowing her mother would do just that. "It's just the four of us and I'm not that hungry and we have too much to do before we have to leave for the salon." Cuddy told her mother.

"We have plenty of time, honey. You need to eat so you don't pass out while you're up there reciting your vows to Greg." She teased Cuddy, winking at Bella as a smile appeared on her lips.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "If I pass out it won't be because I didn't eat, it'll be from nerves." She mumbled, sitting up in bed and passing her hand through her hair.

"Oh, you'll be fine, Lisa."

Bella crawled out of the bed on the other side, eager to start the day. "Yeah Mom, you'll be great."

Cuddy gave her daughter a grateful smile as she stepped out of bed, making her way to the bathroom. "I'm going to get a shower." Cuddy told her mom.

"Ok, honey. We'll get breakfast quickly before we start gathering everything together to leave."

Cuddy nodded as they walked out the bedroom door, closing it behind them; but not before she heard Bella ask her Grandma if the Maid of Honor was supposed to cook breakfast for the bride. Her question brought a smile to Cuddy's lips.

A while back, when they started planning the wedding, she had asked Bella to be her maid of honor because she couldn't think of anyone better for the job. After the shock from being asked went away, Bella gratefully and excitedly accepted but had been nervous about what a maid of honor was supposed to do. Cuddy had informed her of what the duties were and promised that Grandma and Oma would be there to help her as well. Her favorite part was telling her daughter she would be responsible for handing her the ring during the ceremony. Bella's face had lit up with so much joy; she looked like she was going to explode with it. Cuddy knew that giving Bella such a responsibility would mean the world to her and that it would be something she'd remember for the rest of her life. But also, Cuddy couldn't imagine not having her daughter participate in the wedding. Not only would Bella remember it, but Cuddy knew _she_ would cherish the day even more by having Bella at her side as well. It just felt right.

Just before she closed the door to the bathroom, she heard her phone beep, letting her know she had an incoming text. Cuddy doubled back and grabbed her cell from the nightstand, looking at the text message and seeing that it was from House.

_**Wilson's bachelor parties suck. Looks like I'll be sober 4 this shindig. I think I deserve to be rewarded with a quickie before our nuptials commence. **_

Cuddy rolled her eyes and typed her response.

_**Sorry stud, you're not allowed to see me before the wedding. Especially not for a quickie.**_

She smiled, already picturing his eye roll. House wasn't exactly in favor of keeping wedding traditions such as that, but she insisted. They were already a non-traditional family, it couldn't hurt them to follow a few traditions now and then. She set her phone down and made her way into the bathroom. She'd wait to read his response; after all, she had a wedding day to get ready for.

After spending more time in the shower than usual, Cuddy came out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel and another around her body. She moved to check her phone, noticing another text message. She wondered how long he had been waiting for her response. Cuddy smiled when she read it.

_**You know better than anyone how I feel about rules…**_

Cuddy couldn't help rolling her eyes at his text, typing out her response to him.

_**Behave and I'll make it worth your while…later.**_

_**Fine, but at least send me a nudie pic of you to tide me over.**_

She laughed, responding. _**I think you've seen me naked enough times to conjure the image.**_

_**True, but I was thinking of setting it as the wallpaper on my phone.**_

_**Forget it. Shouldn't you be busy getting ready for a certain sacred event taking place this evening?**_

_**Is there a monster truck rally happening that I'm not aware of?**_

Cuddy laughed. _**Since it's our wedding day, I'll b forgiving, and forget you said that.**_

Cuddy set her phone aside, shaking her head. She was unable to stop smiling as she thought about her wedding day. The butterflies began fluttering in her stomach as she sat there, thinking about walking down the aisle, seeing House for the first time in his suit as he waited for her at the altar, slipping the ring on his finger, saying 'I Do', kissing him for the first time as his wife. She couldn't believe she was going to be married to Greg House in a matter of hours.

"Mom? Breakfast is ready." She heard Bella call through the closed bedroom door, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Coming, baby girl." Cuddy answered, standing from her seated position on the bed and grabbing some clothes out of her dresser.

The morning was flying by. At the salon, Cuddy was getting her make up done while Bella got her nails painted and her mother and Blythe got their hair styled. To save time, Cuddy had gotten a mani/pedi the day before. The nerves had begun to set in a little more as Cuddy sat there, nothing like she imagines will happen once she's ready to walk down the aisle in a few hours though. Bella was chattering away, completely excited about everything that was happening and going to happen. Lena, the young woman painting Bella's nails, listened attentively as Bella described the wedding, and every once in a while would patiently tell her not to talk with her hands. Cuddy smiled along, but her thoughts were never far away from her fluttering nerves. She was beginning to shake a little but that could be low blood sugar since she only picked at her breakfast and it was now nearing lunchtime. Cuddy wondered what House was doing at this very moment and if he was just as nervous as she was.

After nails were dry, and make up done, Cuddy and Bella moved over to get their hair styled. Cuddy watched and listened to her daughter throughout the process as she was now retelling everything she told Lena, to the stylist, Carmen. Cuddy dared say that Bella was more excited by this wedding than Cuddy herself was…but that wasn't true, she was just holding it in better. Sort of.

Leaving the salon, they made the hour long drive and pulled into the parking lot at the Ashmore Estate, where the wedding would be taking place. It was a beautiful old plantation house built in the 1860s. As they exited the vehicle, Cuddy smiled and took in the beauty of the place. The grand columns supporting the old house, the wrought iron railings along the stairs leading to the front door and along the balconies on each end, the green expanse of the property, and the tall oak trees lining the drive were simply breathtaking. The ceremony itself would be in the lush gardens at the back of the house and a tent was set up for the reception afterward.

They made their way inside the house where the owners of the property welcomed and congratulated them. The manager, whom they had met when she and House toured the estate, showed them to the suites they would be using. The room was gorgeous and spacious. It was called the Blue Room, obviously for the décor. The walls were soft periwinkle with white molding around the room. The furniture was antique and well cared for; she was almost afraid to touch anything, it was so beautiful. The hardwood floors creaked under their feet as they moved. Cuddy always loved that sound. This place was amazing. It felt lived in and comfortable; it told so many stories of all of the people who had stayed there or lived there throughout the years. It was one of the reasons they had chosen this place for their wedding.

When they were settled in the room, they took a couple of minutes to admire the room and the view outside the windows.

"We need to get some lunch before you get into your dress, Lisa." Cuddy's mom said as she set one of the bags on the floral print couch near the window.

"Yeah, I'm starving, Mom." Bella agreed as she hopped up onto the old oak desk in one corner of the room.

"Bella, please get down, there are other places to sit." Cuddy turned to her mother. "Mom, the catering staff have some sandwiches prepared for us in the kitchen, all we have to do is call down there and let them know we're ready." Cuddy answered, hanging her dress up on the door of the wardrobe.

"I'll do that, you relax. You look faint, darling."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Mom, I'm not going to pass out."

Bella looked at Cuddy with concern as she moved toward the sofa, studying her carefully for any sign that that may happen.

Cuddy smiled reassuringly at her. "Baby, I'm fine, ok? I promise."

"Your hands are shaking." Bella pointed out.

Cuddy sat down on the couch, realizing she was right. "Ok, yeah, I guess I should eat something."

There was a knock at the door before it opened and Blythe stepped in. "I just spoke to Greg, he said he and James are on their way."

"Good. At least he'll be on time." Cuddy replied teasingly, her eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Can I go see him when he gets here?" Bella asked.

Cuddy nodded in approval.

The sandwiches arrived a few minutes later. There was a small table where they placed their lunch and sat down to eat. Bella's excitement had not waned all day and she was having a hard time containing it as she moved about the room before finally sitting down to eat her lunch. But even then she couldn't keep still. Cuddy decided caffeine would be ill advised. However, it didn't keep Bella from asking.

"Mommy, please? I need a Coke."

Cuddy laughed. "I don't think so. You're going crazy, kiddo, no caffeine for you until the reception."

"So what am I supposed to drink?" She argued, shoving the last of her sandwich into her mouth, wiggling in her chair.

"How about water? You've heard of that right?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Water is boring." She replied with her mouth full.

"Manners, please. Your grandmothers and I are drinking water, so you'll just have to suffer through with the rest of us."

"It's good for you, darling. It'll help you grow big and strong." Oma told Bella.

"I thought that was milk." Bella responded smartly.

"Do you want milk instead?" Cuddy retorted, knowing Bella really wanted that Coke so she was going to fight for it.

"No." Bella sighed, giving up, and reluctantly grabbed a bottle of water. She made her way back to her chair, a smile on her face now. "Mom, can we go outside to the gardens? I want to see it, I bet it looks beautiful."

"Sure, but Grandma or Oma will have to take you down. I need to stay up here."

"Because you're not allowed to see Dad yet?"

"Yep."

"No offense, but I think that's a stupid rule. I think you should get to see the groom whenever you want. Who made that up anyway?"

They each chuckled. "I think your Daddy would agree with you, sweetheart." Laura told her.

"Dad does like to break the rules. I bet he'll try to sneak up here."

"Probably." Laura agreed.

"Definitely." Blythe corrected. "Someone should keep an eye on him."

"That's what Wilson is for." Cuddy replied.

"Yeah, but not even Uncle James could keep Dad away. He's pretty sneaky."

Cuddy nodded her agreement.

"I'll keep him away, Mom. I'm pretty sneaky too." Bella volunteered.

"Don't I know it." Cuddy teased with a wink.

They sat around a few more minutes, finishing their lunch and relaxing before it was time for Cuddy to get into her dress. Everything else seemed to be done; her hair, makeup, nails.

Now it was time for the dress.

Cuddy stood in front of the mirror, dressed in her wedding gown, just a few minutes away from getting married to the love of her life. She was alone in the room. Her mother and Blythe having gone downstairs while Bella went to see House for a few minutes.

The butterflies were fluttering uncontrollably now as she stared at herself. She closed her eyes, taking deep, calming breaths as she stood there. She was so nervous, but in the best of ways. A few moments of controlled breathing and Cuddy opened her eyes again, a smile curving her lips at the thought of what was about to happen…finally. After years of waiting for the right man to come along, only to have had him right in front of her face the entire time; the months of preparation and planning, the fights and disagreements, to finally be standing there. She wondered for the thousandth time that day how House was feeling right now. Was he just as nervous? Of course he was, but he would never admit it.

She heard her phone beep with a new text message. Cuddy grabbed her phone; speak of the devil.

_**Can't wait to see you.**_

Cuddy smiled. God, the majority of time that man was insufferable, but then he said things like that and he was the sweetest man in the world. She quickly typed her response.

_**Me too. **_

A moment later she heard another message come through.

_**You can't wait to see you too? Conceiiiiited!**_

And the insufferable man was back. Cuddy huffed a laugh, typing.

_**You know what I mean, don't be an ass on my wedding day. ;)**_

It only took a moment for him to reply.

_**Just get your FINE badonkadonk down here, the sacred ball and chain is ready to be strapped on. **_

She couldn't help but roll her eyes as laughter slipped past her lips. _**See you soon, honeybuns.**_ She replied, setting her phone down.

After a moment, Cuddy heard a light tap on the door before it opened to reveal her mother.

"Lisa…" She breathed. "You look stunning."

Cuddy smiled nervously. "Thank you, Mom." She whispered.

Laura Cuddy walked over to her daughter, standing beside her in front of the full-length mirror. "You're marrying a good man, Lisa." She told Cuddy softly.

"Yeah, I am." She nodded, agreeing with a brilliant smile.

"I'm so happy for you, darling. And so, so proud."

Cuddy looked up, seeing her mother's reflection in the mirror and meeting her eyes. Her smile grew at her mother's words, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. "Mom, don't make me cry."

Mom laughed. "I'm sorry, honey. Come on, we need to go."

Cuddy took in a deep breath, before taking her mother's arm, walking with her out of the room. They made their way down the long stairway to the main floor, turning the corner, which would lead them to the back of the house and outside to the gardens. The double doors were open already and Cuddy could hear the music. She couldn't see House yet until she turned one final corner where a cobblestone path would lead her to her groom. She took in a deep breath and released it slowly, preparing herself. She had no sense of timing as she waited nervously. She knew Wilson and Bella were to precede her down the path but she was too anxious to take note of when it happened.

Finally, her mom gave a reassuring squeeze to Cuddy's hand in the crook of her elbow.

"Let's go darling, it's time." Her mom said.

Cuddy released a nervous breath and they took the remaining steps down the path, rounding the corner and walking toward her future.

**A/N: Ok so, instead of describing Cuddy's wedding dress in the story, I decided to show it on the cover art. I found a wedding dress I liked and Photoshopped Lisa's face onto it. It's not a great job, but it was the best I could do. Also, now you know the picture I've had of what Bella looks like in my head this whole time. ;-) If anyone has trouble seeing the cover art, PM me and I'll send you a version of it. Next chapter will be up tomorrow. No really, it will.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**I couldn't respond to the guest reviews so I want to say a huge thanks to you guys. It means a lot, really! **

**This is a shorter chapter…**

**Chapter 2**

"House, get up. It's your wedding day." Wilson said, tossing a throw pillow at his head as he walked by the couch on his way to the kitchen, jostling House from his sleep.

House groaned, tossing the pillow aside as he opened his eyes to see the bright sunlight shining through the windows of his old apartment that Wilson, his baby momma and baby now lived in. Luckily, the latter two weren't there, having gone to visit her mom overnight so the boys could have their 'wild' bachelor party. They were to meet up later at the wedding.

House was lying on his old leather sofa after having said 'bachelor party', which turned out to be 'not so wild'. Wilson was probably the worst best man in the world. House had wanted strippers and hard liquor, but instead got a couple of beers and a night at a bowling alley. The few other men, Chase, Foreman, Kutner and Taub, were the only ones that bothered to show up after Wilson sent out a hospital-wide memo inviting everyone as a way to piss House off, but had ended up deserting them and heading out to seek better entertainment. House couldn't blame them. Wilson refused to let House go with them though, telling him that he was a _'father now and he shouldn't do anything stupid. He had partied enough in his life as it was; it was time for him to be responsible'_. He was half tempted to handcuff Wilson to the ball return and leave anyway, except that he didn't have any cuffs on him. The bastard lucked out and House wound up with a crappy bachelor party. There would be payback…

As House sat up, he heard Wilson milling around in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee. Finding his cane lying on the floor next to the couch, House picked it up and stood, running his hand down his face and rubbing his leg before making his way into the kitchen.

"Remind me never to make you my best man again. That was the suckiest bachelor party that I could've ever _not_ imagined."

"You better not ever _need_ another best man. No one else would marry you, House. Cuddy is it." Wilson informed him, holding out a mug of coffee to his friend.

House took it from him and rolled his eyes. Sipping his coffee, he closed his eyes as the hot liquid coated his throat and the caffeine gave him an immediate and much needed boost. Aside from not sleeping well because of a mild case of pre-wedding jitters, the couch he slept on was not comfortable. He remembered its comfort level differently when it was his. He was feeling a little sluggish and he didn't have time for it today. He was suddenly glad he didn't drink more than a couple of beers last night. But Wilson would never know that though.

Wilson stood, leaning up against the counter drinking his own coffee. "So are you nervous?"

House pulled a face. "Wilson, you're a smart man, a doctor even, why must you insist on asking me stupid questions?" He snarked.

"So that's a yes." He stated dryly.

"It's my wedding day, make me some damn breakfast." House ordered, attempting to change the subject. "I'm sure Cuddy doesn't want to hear my stomach rolling in on itself from starvation while she's up there vowing to love and support me for the rest of my life. And besides, you owe me for screwing up my bachelor party last night. Seriously, what were you thinking?"

Wilson smiled with satisfaction, crossing his arms over his chest. "Admit it. I want to hear you say the words."

House glared, turning away. "Go suck an egg, Wilson." He yelled over his shoulder, making his way out of the kitchen and toward the bathroom, hearing Wilson's laughter follow him down the hall.

As he closed the bathroom door, he walked over to stand in front of the mirror. The truth was, he _was_ nervous. He would never admit that to anyone, not even on his deathbed, and especially not to Wilson. But this was his wedding day, so of course he was nervous. He felt like a moron for feeling it, but this was the biggest step he had ever taken in his life and he was scared shitless that he had the potential to screw it up. He'd screwed things up before. That feeling had never left him and probably never would. It was so easy to make the wrong choice when it involved the ones he loved most in the world. If this didn't work out…well, he didn't want to think about going back to his life of misery. Cuddy and Bella were it for him. So yes, he was nervous as hell.

House closed his eyes, his right hand reaching down to rub his leg. It was hurting more today, because of that damn couch. The one day he wished he could be pain free, the damn thing chose to cause him even more pain than he usually experienced. He had started working out a few days a week since he proposed to Cuddy, hoping to strengthen what little muscle he had in that leg. It'd been the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he wanted to stand up without the help of his cane as Cuddy made her way down the aisle to him. His Vicodin intake had diminished as well, throughout the months. The thought of Bella seeing him pop his pills made him nauseous. His kid knew about them and how necessary they were, but he didn't take as many as he used to because of her.

House took in a deep breath, still rubbing his leg as his mind shifted back to Cuddy. He still couldn't believe it. He was marrying Cuddy.

House's lip curled into a small smile, his stomach fluttering at the thought of marrying his Love.

A thought occurred and he quickly left the bathroom to grab his phone on the coffee table before returning and leaning against the sink. House composed a text to Cuddy, knowing she would already be up.

_**Wilson's bachelor parties suck. Looks like I'll be sober 4 this shindig. I think I deserve to be rewarded with a quickie before our nuptials commence.**_

He sent it and turned around to brush his teeth while waiting for her response. A moment later it came:

_**Sorry stud, you're not allowed to see me before the wedding. Especially not for a quickie.**_

House lifted his lip in a smile, having expected such a response from her and typed out his own.

He didn't receive a response right away so he decided to take a long bath, hoping the hot water would sooth his leg muscles and keep the pain away. He'd take some meds later as well.

After about 45 minutes, as the water began to chill in the tub, he got another text from Cuddy. They exchanged messages for a few minutes, and he laughed at her last response to him.

_**Since it's our wedding day, I'll b forgiving, and forget you said that.**_

He set the phone aside, knowing the conversation was over, and he was ready to get out of the tub anyway. He couldn't wait to see her. He felt like an idiot for feeling such excitement, but he couldn't help it. House decided to give himself a break since it was apparently normal to be happy on your wedding day. And he was; he was very happy. It was a strange feeling, but he liked it. He was getting used to it.

It turned out that men didn't have to do much to get ready for a wedding ceremony, so House spent most of the morning sitting around listing to Wilson, or rather, pretending to listen to Wilson as he told House about all of the cute things his son had been doing lately. The kid was only a couple months old, give or take, so there hadn't been a long list. Sure he was cute, but all he knew how to do at this point in his life was eat, sleep, poop and cry. What was special about that? Unfortunately for House, it seemed that Wilson thought the opposite. He had taken pictures to go along with those stories he insisted on telling; a lot of pictures. Shortly into the storytelling, House began to wonder if anyone would miss Wilson if he didn't show up at the wedding later, because he had been ready to commit murder just to get him to shut up.

The drive out to the estate was almost as torturous, except instead of Wilson talking about his kid, he kept asking if House had remembered everything he needed or if he was hungry or how his nerves were faring. Finally, he'd had enough.

"Wilson!" House shouted, as he was in the middle of asking another annoying question.

"What?"

"Would you shut up? I'm starting to get a migraine from all of your questions."

"Hey, I'm just doing my best man duties and making sure that you have everything you need."

"I'm pretty sure you already failed at that last night." House snarked.

"Oh you're never going to let that go, are you? But someday, you will see the wisdom of my best man ways." He assured.

House rolled his eyes. "I should've asked Chase to be my best man, at least he would've ordered a couple of strippers and left me alone about my 'nerves'. Even Foreman would've been a better choice."

"That's hurtful." Wilson stated, shaking his head. "Chase, I agree with, but Foreman? Yeah, that cuts deep." He snarked back.

House huffed a laugh, drawing one from Wilson.

There were a few moments of silence between them. A short reprieve, as it turned out. "Have you heard from Cuddy?" Wilson asked.

House glowered at him.

"Sorry, sorry, no more questions."

Wilson's questions were like a gnat, you could swat at it but it would just come right back to annoy you a second later, buzzing in your ear. "What about Bella, have you heard from her?"

"Shut up." House mumbled.

"Jeez, you're grouchy. Must be the nerves talking."

"Yeah, that's it." House snarked.

Wilson rolled his eyes.

About five minutes later, he opened his mouth again but House reached out, flipping the radio on and turning the volume up. Perhaps it was divine intervention or good wedding day juju, because the song that came blaring out was some chick crooning _Shut Up And Drive_. You couldn't get more perfect than that. House turned to him, eyebrows raised, smiling and trying not to think about why Wilson's radio was turned to that station.

Finally, they had made it to the estate and up to the room designated as his dressing room. House kicked Wilson out almost immediately so he could get ready in peace.

House had just finished tying his tie when he heard a knock at the door. He rolled his eyes and was about to cuss Wilson out of the room again, when he heard his daughter's voice instead.

"Dad?" Bella's muffled voice called through the door.

House made his way to the door, eager to see his kid since he hadn't seen her since yesterday. When he opened the door, she was standing there in her maid of honor dress with a smile on her face. He returned her smile, ushering her inside the room. "Hey, peanut."

"Daddy, you look so handsome." She told him, her face glowing up at him.

"You sound surprised, aren't I always handsome?" He teased.

"You're not always wearing a suit, Dad. But I guess you're always handsome anyways." She shrugged.

"It's true, you know." House told her, puffing out his chest exaggeratedly and drawing a giggle from her before making his way back to the full-length mirror to check his tie.

Suddenly he heard the scrape of a chair across the hardwood floors. House cringed and turned around, watching as Bella scooted the chair over to where he was standing.

"What are doing?" He asked.

"Stand still, Dad." She told him, climbing onto the chair to stand at his height. "Turn to me." She instructed, grabbing his shoulders and turning him before he could comply, and reached for his tie.

"Hey, I just tied that." He complained, bringing his hands up to protect the knot he'd just painstakingly tied.

"Don't move, Dad, it's crooked. I have to fix it." She answered, smacking his hand out of the way.

He sighed, relenting. He didn't think it was crooked but he let her do her thing. "Just don't untie it, it was bitch to get right."

"I'm not, just fixing it." She murmured in concentration.

He watched her face as she focused, his lip curving in amusement and standing as still as possible. After a moment, her eyes met his and she smiled before releasing the tie and patting his shoulder. "There, all fixed."

"What would I do without you?"

She shrugged, stating plainly. "You'd be a mess."

House smiled and gave her a curt nod, agreeing with her. Because it was true, he had been a mess before he'd met her. His daughter had a way of making him better without even trying. It was just a matter of her presence in his life that made him into a better man. Not just hers, but Cuddy's as well. He needed them.

"So, how's your mother holding up? Is she-."

"Just as nervous as you, Daddy." She interrupted, patting his scruffy cheeks gently.

"Not nervous." He denied.

"'Course you are. It's ok, you know? It's not bad to feel nervous." Bella reassured him, before adding. "You're only vowing to love, honor and cherish the same person for the rest of your natural life."

House stared at her a moment, slight panic setting in before it was gone again. "You're not helping." He replied dryly.

She grinned at him. "Just messing with you, Dad, don't panic."

House rolled his eyes, "not panicking." He mumbled.

"Mom looks really beautiful." She said, changing the subject.

"Yeah?" He asked, a smile returning to his face.

Bella nodded before leaning in and wrapping her arms around House's neck. "You look really happy, Dad." She told him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

House returned her hug, and after a moment he scrapped her neck with his scruffy cheeks to make her laugh. It worked, she screeched in his ear and bunched her shoulders up to protect her neck from his attack. "Stop it, you'll mess up my hair." She said, through her laughter.

"I didn't touch your hair. You're the one wiggling."

She leaned away from him. "Stop it." She pouted with a slight chuckle, lifting her hands to make sure her curly locks were still in place.

He smiled, a laugh wanting to escape, but he held it in. "Baby." He accused.

"Am not."

"Too."

Bella huffed a laugh as he tried to bait her into their old argument.

"It's almost time, you better scoot." House told her.

Bella nodded, smiling at him. "Ok."

She hopped down from the chair with House's help, holding firmly onto her hands. Bella looked up at him, happiness shining in her eyes. "See you down there, Daddy."

House nodded. "See ya, peanut."

Watching her leave the room, he took in a steadying breath. House turned to the mirror once more, staring at his reflection for a few moments. He brought his hand up to fidget with his tie once more before smoothing it down. He squared his shoulders, standing to his full height. This was it. He was ready.

House grabbed his cane and made his way out of the room and downstairs, out to the gardens and to the altar. He ignored Wilson as he tried to crowd him, asking him if he was ready. Everyone else was sitting, talking softly to one another as they waited for the ceremony to start. He pulled out his phone, typing out a text to Cuddy. Their conversation was brief but it helped his nerves. He smiled inwardly; she'd be there soon.

A short time later the ceremony began. House was standing at the altar waiting for his bride. He winked at Bella as Wilson escorted her up the cobblestone path. There were no groomsmen or bridesmaids so the next person to come down the aisle would be Cuddy. He took in a stuttering breath just as she appeared before him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again everyone for the reviews. This is another short one…so if there are no objections…none at all….then I think I'll go ahead and post the last chapter as well…today. What do you all think? Any objections? Do I see a hand raised there in the back? No? Ok then…..it shall be done. You know, after I spend some time obsessively editing it. :-P 'Giggle, giggle.' For now, take a trip through time with our beloved House and Cuddy.**

**Chapter 3**

7 Months Ago

"_Can't we just elope?" House whined._

"_My answer hasn't changed from the last time you asked." Cuddy replied._

_House sighed, leaning his head back on the couch in her office as they sat side by side with their feet propped up on the coffee table. It was the end of the day and they were both enjoying the few minutes they had before Cuddy had to pick up Bella from her after school activities and House had to get back upstairs to his patient. _

_Cuddy turned her head to look at him, reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "House, it's just one day. I think you can manage to be pleasant around a few people for that long, don't you?"_

_House turned his head as well, looking into her eyes. "Do you even know me?"_

_Cuddy rolled her eyes and dropped her head back against the couch, pulling her hand from his and setting it back onto her lap. They had been discussing certain aspects of the wedding for the last month as they had time. So far, they hadn't agreed on much, the ceremony being one of them. Cuddy wanted to go big and House didn't. They seemed to be stuck on that particular argument. But a week ago, they decided to try and move passed it and get more serious about the planning. They hadn't even set a date yet. But instead of discussing that at the moment, they had somehow ended up going back to the ceremony._

"_Why do we have to get married in front of a bunch of idiots we don't even like? I say we just buy some tickets to Vegas, grab our kid, and get married there."_

"_House, I told you I want my family there. Don't you want your mom to be there?" She asked, turning her head toward him again._

_House sighed after a moment and gave her a short nod of his head. "She'd pretty much bludgeon me to death if we got married without her. You'd end up a widow and a single mother as soon as she found out about it."_

"_See? I'm saving your life, here." She teased, leaning over and kissing him softly._

_House looked up at the ceiling a moment later, rubbing his right hand over his face. "So how many people are we talking here?" _

"_I don't know, a few friends from the hospital, the Board, your team, both of our families." She responded._

_House sat up and turned his head toward her. "You want to get married in front of the people we work with, and that we see on a constant, irritating basis?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, why not? They're our friends."_

"_The people that work here, the Board included, but with the exception of Wilson of course, are not our friends. We don't hang out with them or invite them to dinner and especially not to important events in our lives. They're our co-workers, that's all. They don't need to see us tie the knot." He argued._

"_What is your problem?" Cuddy asked, sitting up from her reclining position as well. "It's just for one day, House. Then we can all go back to our normal…"_

_House stood up quickly, walking a few paces from the coffee table and turning to face her once more. Cuddy had been surprised by his sudden move and stopped mid-sentence. House looked down at her, his expression hard. "It is not for just _one day_, Cuddy. We see these people _every day_, and it won't be business as usual when we get back from our honeymoon. Those people are going expect us to be their pals because we invited them to a stupid party."_

_Cuddy raised her eyebrows at his last words, a mixture of anger and hurt creeping onto her face as she stood up. "Stupid party?" She asked. "Is that all this is to you, a stupid party?"_

_House rolled his eyes, looking back at her as he argued back. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Stop twisting my words."_

"_I didn't twist anything. Those were the words that you just said, House." She replied. "This is not just a stupid party to me. We are getting married and I want it to be the happiest day of our lives, I want it to be perfect. I want the people that we care about there to celebrate that day with us. Why can't you just put aside your damn attitude for one day and let me have this?"_

"_You're forgetting one thing. It's my wedding day too, but that doesn't include having a bunch of people I work with, witnessing it. It's private." _

"_So instead you want to go to some strange city filled with a bunch of people we _don't_ know to witness it?"_

_He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. He saw her point about that part, but he was going to be stubborn about this; he really didn't want to get married in front of the entire hospital. They weren't getting anywhere and he didn't think they were ever going to agree on what kind of ceremony to have. House and Cuddy stood in silence for a few moments, standing in the middle of her office, unsure of how to proceed. _

_Another moment passed when Cuddy looked at her watch, realizing she was going to be late picking up Bella if she didn't leave soon. Cuddy didn't want her waiting at the school alone. Finally she stepped back behind her desk, gathering her laptop and a few files to work on at home and placing them in her briefcase. "I have to go pick up Bella." She told him, taking a quick glance in his direction, noticing his lowered head and intense staring contest with the carpet, before she looked away once more. Cuddy made her way around her desk and grabbed her coat, shrugging it on. She stepped over and opened the door to her office, waiting on him to turn around and leave so she could lock it up._

_When he turned, he glanced up at her face but didn't move or say a word._

_She sighed. "House?" She said impatiently, gesturing for him to leave._

_He sighed as well. "Cuddy…we-"_

"_House, I'm late picking up Bella, I have to go. We can talk about this later. You should get back to your patient."_

_House stood there a moment longer before he nodded and made his way out the door. Cuddy breathed another sigh of exasperation and closed the door, locking her office up and making her way out of the clinic. She watched him limp toward the elevator as she went the opposite direction toward the hospital entrance, sighing softly and wondering if they would ever agree on anything concerning this wedding._

_House unlocked the front door to his home, worn out from the day he'd had at the hospital. As he walked in, the lamp in the living room and a small one in the hallway, were the only sources of light inside the house. He knew his girls would be in bed already, so he made his way in as quietly as he could. As he took a step forward after locking the door, he nearly tripped over Bella's soccer ball in the middle of the foyer. House knocked it into the living room with his cane, making a mental note to tell her to put it away before someone (him) breaks his neck. Turning off the remaining lamps and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he walked down the hall to Bella's room, quietly opening up the door to check in on her. Upon seeing that she was sound asleep, he closed her door and walked toward the bedroom he shared with Cuddy._

_The door was ajar and as he pushed it open he saw that Cuddy was asleep as well. His patient had been cured and he was tired as hell, and the argument between him and Cuddy this afternoon was still weighing heavily on his mind. He was feeling guilty for not giving Cuddy what she wanted on her wedding day. Wilson was right a few weeks ago, when he said that women plan for this day all their lives and men don't. He should give Cuddy whatever the hell she wants on that day. Hell, he was just lucky she said yes to marry him at all._

_House sighed softly and walked into the room. He set his cane against the nightstand and began his nightly ritual. He made his way into the bathroom to take a quick shower, hoping to relax before trying to sleep. After his shower, he grabbed a pair of pajama pants out of his drawer and put them on. He looked at Cuddy once more, noticing she hadn't moved since he went into the bathroom and he carefully crawled into bed, not wanting to wake her. She needed the rest after the shitty evening she'd probably had because of him._

_As he lay his head down on his pillow, Cuddy startled slightly, probably having felt the bed dip. She opened her eyes and turned her body to face him giving him a small, sleepy smile._

"_Hey." She whispered._

_House turned onto his side so he was face to face with her, grateful that she didn't seem upset anymore. "Hey." He replied in a whisper as well._

"_You look tired. How's your patient?"_

"_He'll be fine." He told her. "Cuddy…I'm sorry about what I said in your office. I want you to have whatever you want on your wedding day. If that means you want to invite the entire hospital, then that's what I want too."_

_Cuddy shook her head and moved closer to him, laying her hand gently on his cheek. "No, I'm sorry. I was being selfish. Like you said, it's _our_ wedding day not just mine, and it's just as important for you to have what you want. We just have to come up with a compromise between us."_

"_Cuddy, screw what I want. I want you to have this, I want you to be happy."_

"_And I want you to be happy. Having a bunch of people staring at us while we're reciting our vows, won't make you happy." She told him, her thumb lightly caressing his lips. "House, we can come up with something to make us both happy. And I think I thought of a way."_

"_Yeah, what's that?" He asked, furrowing his brow, his hand running smoothly over her back._

"_My suggestion is…we get married in front of our closest family and friends and then afterwards, we have a reception where we invite everyone else." _

"_By closest family and friends, you mean…" he said, wanting her to elaborate._

"_Our moms and Bella, of course, Wilson and Janine, my sister and her family, your fellows, if you want." She shrugged._

_A small smile made it's way onto House's face and he nodded in approval of her plan. "Ok."_

_Cuddy smiled in response, nodding as well. "Yeah?"_

_House nodded and she nodded in response. "Ok."_

"_So when are we doing this?" He asked, gently running his fingers up and down her spine._

"_I thought a spring wedding would be beautiful. But that's still several months away, we don't have to wait that long if you don't want."_

_House shook his head. "A spring wedding it is."_

_Cuddy smiled once more, kissing his lips before pulling away and looking into his eyes. "I'm going to ask Bella to be my maid of honor." She told him._

"_Oh god. She's going to flip out on you, you know that, right?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, at first, she won't know what the hell a maid of honor is supposed to do, but when you explain it to her and that she gets to be the one to hand you the ring during the ceremony, not to mention help plan the thing, she's going to go bananas."_

_Cuddy laughed softly, nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. I can't wait to see it." She replied, her smile growing._

"_Just make sure I'm nowhere in sight when you tell her."_

"_It won't matter, she'll go bananas all over you eventually." She informed him._

_He nodded, conceding her point. "So we should narrow it down a bit, don't you think? What's the date I should expect to strap on the ball and chain?"_

_Cuddy raised her brow in thought. "Well, I kind of always wanted an outdoor wedding, so when the weather is warmer…." She suggested._

_House nodded, a small smile creeping up on his face. "Wilson was right, wasn't he? You've been planning your wedding since you were old enough to strap on your mother's high heels." He asked._

_Cuddy furrowed her brow at him and scoffed. "I have not."_

_House's smile became a laugh, noticing a hint of pink creeping up on her cheeks. "Yes you have." He accused._

"_Have not." She replied, unconvincingly, rolling her eyes._

"_Admit it. You walked around your house in your mother's high heels and dress up clothes with a pillowcase on your head, pretending you were marrying the most handsome suitor in the world. At least that part you got right."_

"_Shut up. I did no such thing." She continued to deny as he continued not to believe her._

"_Yeah, whatever. Maybe I'll call your mother tomorrow and have a conversation about little Lisa and-."_

"_You do that, and I'll tell your mother about the time you-." She cut in._

"_Nothing you tell my mother about me will shock her, trust me." He volleyed back at her._

"_May." Cuddy replied suddenly._

"_What?" He frowned, confused._

"_I want to get married in May."_

"_Oh nice deflection, missy, but I'm not dropping this conversation until you admit that you used to parade around your house with a white pillowcase on your head." He retorted. "Man, I hope there are pictures."_

_Cuddy rolled her eyes, shaking her head in denial. "I have never paraded around my house with a pillowcase on my head."_

"_Well, you almost got it. Now say that again except drop the 'never' and we can move on."_

"_Shut up."_

"_Chicken." He accused. "Just so you know, I happen to think it's sexy that you did that."_

"_No you don't, I'm not saying it." Cuddy told him. "Now can we please talk about our wedding?"_

"_I'm not wearing a tux." He told her. "I hate the way those things look on me and besides they're uncomfortable and I don't want to be uncomfortable on my wedding day."_

_Cuddy shrugged her shoulders. "Wear a suit. I love how you look in a suit."_

"_I am pretty dishy in a suit." He agreed._

_Cuddy chuckled, moving in even closer to him, their bodies flush against each other. She leaned in with a searing kiss to his lips. "We're getting married." She whispered after they broke apart. _

"_You gonna change your mind when it finally sinks in?" He teased._

"_Maybe." She teased back, an amused glint in her eye as she kissed him again._

_House moved his hand down, smacking her on the ass, causing her to laugh against his lips._

**The last chapter will be posted soon. Happy Saturday!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Wow." Bella heard her father's barely audible whisper as his eyes locked onto her mother walking down the path toward him.

She smiled. Bella knew how gorgeous her mother looked in her wedding dress when she left the room earlier but she was happy to see her dad's reaction to her now. As she shifted her eyes between her parents, she noticed that her dad had an awestruck look on his face and eyes alight with love. She had seen that look in his eyes before whenever he looked at her mom. It was sweet…and sometimes weird. But mostly sweet. As Bella stood there, she thought it was amazing how much they loved each other, and how it was evident in every way. Sure, they bantered, bickered, and fought; but they also joked, laughed, and loved. They were matched; there couldn't be one without the other.

She watched him shift nervously, which was strange to see because he was almost never nervous. It was a feeling she had only seen him experience once before and that was the day he proposed to mom. Today it seemed to be magnified as he stood there. But she was proud of her dad. He was standing so tall and straight, his cane nowhere in sight. Bella briefly wondered where it was, before forgetting all about it and shifting her eyes to the bride.

Her mom looked even more amazing than she did before as she walked toward the altar. Her dress was magnificent and her smile was radiant, her gaze on his. They seemed to be in their own world as mom and Grandma approached them. There was nothing and no one else there right now. Just them. Bella wondered if she would ever have that feeling when she got older and met her true love. She had seen her birth parent's love for one another as well and she hoped one day she would have that with someone. But Bella couldn't imagine that now, she was just a kid and she still thought boys were gross. They smelled bad, were constantly showing how much better they thought they were than girls and they always said and did the dumbest stuff to prove it. Bella asked her mom once if they were always like that and she had said yes…but she was hopeful she'd find one that would grow up enough to be worth her attention.

Anyway, that was a long time from now. Her attention shifted once again to the ceremony and Bella couldn't contain her smile. Her face hurt from smiling so much. It was all she had done today, but it was uncontrollable. She was so joyous for her parents. Their day had finally come and they looked beyond happy. They had been planning the wedding for months and months, getting every detail perfect. They had fought and bickered about certain things but they had eventually agreed on everything and now they were finally there.

When her mom reached the altar and Grandma gave her away, her parents stepped up together to stand in front of the minister. Mom winked at Bella as she handed over her bouquet, leaning down to cup her jaw and place a kiss on Bella's cheek, whispering to her that she loved her, so only she could hear. Bella smiled up at her mom as she gently stroked her thumb over her cheek to remove the lipstick left from her kiss.

"Love you too, Mommy." She whispered back.

Mom smiled again before turning around to face Dad, taking his hands in her own. Bella glanced at Dad and noticed him wink over at her before turning his attention back to Mom. The minister began the ceremony. Bella didn't know what he was going to say, but she got a little nervous when he started talking about God stuff, because Dad didn't like a lot of God talk and she was sort of surprised that he even agreed to have a minister do the ceremony. She thought maybe he must've lost a bet or something. Anyway, Bella believed in God, but her Dad didn't and that was his right, but she didn't want him to open his big mouth and ruin the ceremony if the minister kept talking about it. Which is why she was glad when he finally moved on after a few minutes.

Bella listened and watched attentively as the vows were recited. She noticed her mom's eyes shining with tears – happy tears – as she spoke them to Dad. Bella may have also glimpsed a tear in her Dad's eye when it was his turn, but she wasn't sure. She _was_ sure, though, that he'd deny it if she asked him; _'the sun was in my eyes,'_ he'd say. To which, she'd roll _her_ eyes, knowing it wasn't.

When the rings were exchanged, she was secretly glad she hadn't dropped Dad's when she handed it to Mom. She had been nervous for months about that moment. She'd had dreams about ruining the ceremony because she had lost the ring, or dropped it, watching it roll away into the grass and the earth opening up with fire and lava oozing out to claim the ring and swallowing it up, never to be found again. She was pretty sure Dad's wedding ring wasn't the 'one ring to rule them all', and they were nowhere near the fires of Mordor, but it didn't keep her brain from conjuring that particular nightmare. Maybe she shouldn't have watched that movie at Maya's that one time…. But happily, none of that happened and the exchange had been made without a hitch.

Before she knew it, her parents were sharing their first kiss as a married couple and being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Gregory House. Bella smiled and clapped happily for her parents along with the rest of their family. She was glad her mom had decided to take her dad's name. There had been a debate about it because then, there would be two Dr. Houses in the hospital and it would be confusing and weird to everyone that knew her as Dr. Cuddy already. In the end, they decided Mom would keep her maiden name as her professional name but she would be Mrs. House in every other way.

Mom turned to Bella and took her hand. She followed her parents down the path, smiling as their family gathered around to congratulate them.

A few minutes later, they were all hurried off to get their pictures taken. Dad rolled his eyes and groused, of course, just because it was expected of him. But Bella could tell he didn't mean it. She hoped the pictures wouldn't take long though, she was starving.

She couldn't wait to eat cake.

It was dusk already, the day mixing with night as the orange glow of the sun began to disappear. The reception tent was set up on the grounds bordering the gardens where the ceremony had taken place. The dance floor was laid out under the stars, streams of beautiful lights flowing over, giving an ethereal glow over the entire space. House and Cuddy danced in the center, his arm circling her waist, a hand resting on the small of her back. His other hand cradled hers gently to his heart. Cuddy held him close, running her fingers softly through his hair at the nape of his neck. House placed a soft kiss to her jaw as they swayed to the music. The reception was in full swing and other couples on the dance floor currently surrounded House and Cuddy, but the atmosphere was intimate, like no one else existed. It was just the two of them.

Cuddy opened her eyes and leaned back, looking up at House, smiling. "We're married." She breathed out, happily.

House looked down at her, his eyes shining, a grin on his face. "Regretting it yet?" He teased.

Cuddy shook her head, her smile growing. "Is this the face of a woman who regrets getting married?"

House made a show of musing over her question. "Hmm, I suppose if she were a great liar." He stated.

Cuddy laughed softly, nodding her head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. After all, I needed someone to help raise my daughter and you were the only sucker I could think of to entrap into a marriage."

House released a surprised chuckle, shaking his head. "You're mean." He pouted after a moment. "I can't believe you'd say that to your new husband on his wedding day."

"Should I have waited to mention it?" Cuddy responded innocently.

House glared playfully at her. "Marriage changed you, Cuddy, I don't remember this much sass from you before."

Cuddy laughed as he pouted, his arms tightening around her, pulling her closer.

"Sure you do." She replied, lifting her lips to his cheek, placing a kiss there before moving to his lips. "It's the reason you fell in love with me."

"Ha, that's what I wanted you believe when really I fell in love with this." He said, moving both hands down to grab her ass, pressing her closer to him and kissing her again on the lips.

"House." She warned on a laugh, moving her hands down from around his shoulders to shift his hands away from her butt. "Save it, stud."

House curled his lip in a smirk, keeping his hands firmly planted on the small of her back where she'd moved them as Cuddy wrapped her arms around his shoulders again. He lowered his lips to her cheek, placing a kiss as she smiled into their embrace. They danced in silence for a few minutes before Cuddy softly spoke. "This is perfect, House. It's exactly how I pictured it." She told him, moving her lips to his for a soft kiss.

"You mean, when you were a kid parading around with a pillowcase on your head." He responded sarcastically.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Shut up about that."

He tossed a mischievous smile, before suddenly shifting his attention with a head tilt, nodding toward Bella and her little friends; Simon, Maya and Ellie. "Check it out. That kid's hitting on our daughter, trying to get her to dance with him." He spoke softly into Cuddy's ear.

Cuddy turned, watching as Simon held his hand out to Bella. "That's sweet." She commented with a smile.

House glared. "It's not sweet, it's wrong. I think I'm going to have to up the terror factor."

"House, leave him alone, he's a sweet boy."

"I'll be the judge of that." He snarked. "It starts with a dance but before you know it, he's trying to cop a feel."

"Much like you did a second ago?" She asked.

"Exactly. But, I'm allowed, he isn't."

Cuddy rolled her eyes, her lip curling in amusement at her husband. She looked at him as he watched their daughter. It warmed her heart to see how much he loved her and wanted to protect her, even when there was no need.

Changing the subject, she spoke softly. "I told Bella we'd talk about planning a vacation later in the year; go to the beach, maybe. She seemed worried about us leaving for our honeymoon."

House met her eyes, concerned suddenly. "Worried we won't come back?"

Cuddy nodded. "She promised she was fine, but I don't know, House. If it's too much for her, maybe we should stay."

House shook his head. "Won't help, Cuddy. She'd just feel guilty that we stayed because of her. If she says she's fine, we trust her."

Cuddy looked at him as if he'd just grown another head.

"What?" House asked.

"Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" She teased.

House rolled his eyes. "Oh shut up. I'm not the worrywart, you are. She's fine."

She laughed, as House shifted his gaze back to Bella and Simon. Noticing, she turned her head as well. She huffed a laugh when she saw Bella dragging Simon onto the dance floor. "Looks like the one you have to worry about is Bella."

House glared, pouting at her. "Don't say that."

Cuddy couldn't help her laughter.

Suddenly, House took Cuddy's hands from around his neck and placed them on his shoulders, his eyes still trained on Bella and Simon. Then he stepped back, an arms length from her and placed his hands on her waist. Cuddy eyed him, confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Showing our kid how to dance." He replied as if it were obvious.

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, House. This is not how-."

"Oh shush, it is when she's nine."

Cuddy clamped her lips together tightly, holding in the laugh that wanted to erupt. She couldn't laugh at him over this, he was being a good father, even though he was being ridiculous. So she went along with it, swaying together at their wedding, like a couple of kids at a middle school dance.

Bella eyed Simon's hand suspiciously. "What?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

Simon sighed, exasperated. "This is what guys do when they ask a girl to dance." He explained. "So do you?" He asked, after not getting a response right away.

Bella glanced at Maya and Ellie before turning her attention back to Simon's outstretched hand. She shrugged, taking his hand and pulling him along behind her onto the dance floor. "Sure."

Simon followed, a small smile on his face, happy that she'd consented. When they reached an empty space on the dance floor, they stood there, both unsure what to do next. They were surrounded by adults, hugging and swaying to the music. Bella didn't really want to hug Simon like that, it was weird. She looked at him and he seemed just as clueless as she was. After a moment, Simon tried to take the initiative, moving a half step closer to Bella before inhaling deeply and raising his arms to wrap around her waist in a hug. Bella watched his face closely; he looked nervous, like he was going to pass out. And she did not want him to pass out; it would be so embarrassing. She eyed him suspiciously. "Do you know what you're doing?" Bella asked.

Simon froze, his arms mid-way to her waist. "Uh…I-I was just-isn't this what I'm supposed to do? It's what that guy is doing." He stuttered out, gesturing to the couple dancing next to them. Bella noticed the man's arms were around the woman's waist and they were dancing slowly, their faces close to each other, talking quietly.

Bella turned to Simon, shaking her head and grimacing. "I'm not doing that." She told him emphatically.

"But you said you'd dance with me."

Bella sighed, her eyes shifting to her parents dancing a short distance from them. She watched closely for a moment and gave them a small smile, understanding now. Finally, she turned her attention back to Simon and took a step, moving into his space. Simon's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

"Simon, do you want to dance or not?"

He nodded.

"Then shut up and dance. This is how you do it, I put my hands on your shoulders and you put your hands on my waist, like this, and we stand arms apart." She explained simply, demonstrating.

"Nobody else is dancing that way."

"Trust me, this is how you do it."

Simon looked suspicious, but quickly shrugged his shoulders and they both began swaying side to side, shifting their feet.

They looked at each other awkwardly. "This is weird." Bella stated.

Simon nodded his agreement.

"Should we keep dancing?" He queried, surveying the space around them, as everyone else seemed to be having a great time.

Bella shrugged. "It would be weirder if we stopped because we just got out here."

So they continued to sway in silence, their eyes shifting to other couples, as the moment grew more awkward between them. Uncle James and Aunt Janine were dancing a few feet from them and she wondered where the baby was. She scanned the area, seeing more people she knew and a few she didn't. Kutner was dancing with a girl she hadn't seen before. Max had brought his girlfriend and they were dancing closely, making goo-goo eyes at each other. Chase and Allison looked like they were about to start making out any second (gross). She shifted her eyes away, catching the lens of the camera as the wedding photographer walked by, snapping a picture of her and Simon before he moved along. Bella sighed, under her breath. Slow dancing was kind of boring. She didn't understand what the big deal was. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the band started playing something more lively and couples around them began to move apart, bodies moving to the new beat. Bella blew out a relieved sigh and dropped her arms from Simon's shoulders. She noticed he seemed relieved as well. They both smiled at each other and joined in. This was more like it.

"I'll miss you." Bella whispered against House's neck as he hugged her goodbye. He held onto her tightly, her legs and arms wrapped securely around his body. "Us too, peanut."

"Will you bring me something?"

House smiled but hid it quickly as he leaned back and looked at Bella. "I knew you weren't really going to miss us, you just want a present." He teased.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Nuh-uh, Dad. I really will miss you, but I think since you get to go on vacation without me, I deserve something fun too." She replied, a slight mischievous curl to her lip.

"You get to stay here with your Grandmas, how much more fun do you think you need?"

"Now you're just patronizing me, Dad." She retorted with a shake of her head.

House released a chuckle, hearing a matching huff from Cuddy, as she stood behind them waiting for her turn to tell their daughter goodbye. He responded with a short nod. "Fine, I'll bring you something, but only because that was the best guilt trip I've gotten in a while. Other than marrying your mother, of course."

He received a glare and a slap to the arm from Cuddy for that one, before setting Bella down, a smirk on his lips.

"Very funny, House." Cuddy mumbled, leaning to wrap Bella in her arms. "You be good for your Grandmas, k?" She continued, speaking to Bella.

Bella hugged Cuddy's neck tightly. "Don't worry, Mom."

"We'll call everyday and if you need us to come home, just ask."

House made eye contact with Bella, throwing her a wink. She smiled in response. "Ok."

Cuddy released Bella, framing her face and looking into her eyes before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I love you. We'll see you in a week."

Bella nodded in understanding.

Both their moms stepped up next to say their goodbyes. It was late and they were the only ones remaining from the wedding party and reception guests. House and Cuddy would be staying at the Estate overnight before leaving on their honeymoon while Bella and her grandmothers would be making the drive back home.

Bella held on tightly to Cuddy's hand as they walked to the car. She slid into the backseat, Cuddy fastening her seatbelt for her even though Bella was more than capable of doing it herself. Giving their daughter a comforting smile, she leaned in for another kiss to her cheek.

Bella answered with a smile of her own. "You look beautiful, Mom. I'm happy for you guys and I hope you have fun on your honeymoon."

Cuddy gave her a wide, happy smile. "Thank you, sweetheart. We'll miss you, but we'll back before you know it."

Bella nodded. "Don't worry about me. I can see you worrying, but you shouldn't, I'll be fine."

"I know you will, but I'll worry anyway. I can't help it."

House leaned into the car behind Cuddy. "We'll call tomorrow, peanut. Give your Grandmas a hard time for me so they won't miss me too much."

"I'll step in for you, Dad."

House nodded with a smile. "Good."

Both sets of grandmothers watched them, smiling and rolling their eyes. "Don't encourage her, Greg." His mom scolded him good-naturedly.

He responded with a mischievous smile. "You ladies have your hands full, trust me."

"Hey." Bella protested.

They said one final goodbye before House gently closed the car door and watched them drive off. Cuddy sighed softly, sliding her fingers between his and glancing up at him. "You think she'll be ok?"

"She'll be fine." He answered assuredly.

When the darkness swallowed the taillights of the car, he turned to Cuddy and instantly noticed the worry on her face. "She'll be fine." He said again.

Cuddy shifted her eyes to his, nodding, but not looking convinced.

His lip curled into a smile, looking her up and down. "Wanna go have sex?"

She grinned. "Is that your answer for everything?"

"Definitely. I'm a solutions man."

Her smile widened, but he could see in her eyes she was still worried that Bella was going to have some sort of breakdown while they were gone. He didn't believe that. He knew Bella was anxious but would be fine with regular phone calls.

His cane in one hand and Cuddy's in the other, he turned around, pulling her along behind him. "Come on, I have plans for you and they don't include you worrying over our kid. She's in good hands." He told her as they trudged up to the estate. Looking down, he winked. "So are you, by the way."

Cuddy laughed, following closely beside him. "Just good hands? I don't think I'm interested in just good." She teased.

"Did I say good? I meant great, superb, exceptional, superior, stupendous." He boasted, glancing at her for a reaction.

Cuddy hummed. "That's impressive, House; all those adjectives."

"And those are just my hands, think of all the other descriptive words I can come up with for other parts of me."

She laughed. "I'm sure they're numerous, plentiful, copious, profuse, multitudinous."

"Good one." He tossed out in approval.

Her smile remained, forming into a devious grin. "Big, abundant, voluminous…"

"Oh have we moved on to other body parts already…I approve. But if you keep going, I'm thinking we'll need to take a detour, consummate our marriage behind that tree over there." He pointed to a particularly large oak.

"Oh I don't think so, I'd rather take you upstairs."

"Take me, Cuddy, take me." He approved eagerly, speeding up as they continued into the house and up to the honeymoon suite.

**The End.**

**Thanks for reading! I have some ideas to continue the Bella 'verse, but it's something I'm still hashing out…I'll post as soon as something comes out of it. **


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